


Without Akane

by Newhieghts



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: (at somepoint hopefully), Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Light is the best friend you could ask for, M/M, Nightmares, Suicidal Thoughts, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, akane is still here after the first chapter just... a ghost?, this is disgustingly angsty im always sad about aoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-10 17:29:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12916761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newhieghts/pseuds/Newhieghts
Summary: As Aoi screamed at a wall of metal, banged on it with his fists, he was quite sure that the world was ending.The fabric of reality was tearing itself down, leaving him in a moment where he was beating up a door. He wasn't even good at it.He didn't take in the bulking detective slamming himself into the wall, despite the reverberations, despite his roars. Nor did he notice the blind boy, Light Field, hammer with him.The world was ending.Aoi didn't care. The world could end if it wanted. But he refused to let the world take his sister.The world was ending, for Aoi.Timeline where Akane dies, as told by Aoi





	1. The World Is Only Ending

The world was only ending.  


As Aoi screamed at a wall of metal, banged on it with his fists, he was quite sure that the world was ending.  


The fabric of reality was tearing itself down, leaving him in a moment where he was beating up a door. He wasn't even good at it.  


He didn't take in the bulking detective slamming himself into the wall, despite the reverberations, despite his roars. Nor did he notice the blind boy, Light Field, hammer with him.  


The world was ending.  


Aoi didn't care. The world could end if it wanted. But he refused to let the world take his sister.  


The world was ending, for Aoi.  


Not for Light. Not for the detective. Not for anyone but a skinny fifteen year old.  


"KANNY!" He sobbed, battering the door. "KANNY!" He punched the door, hissing when the pain flared up his hand.  


An alarm blared from inside.  


Aoi felt his chest tighten.  


No. no... that wasn't enough time. She's only little, he thought. She can't escape on her own.  


"LET ME IN! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" He screamed.  


Aoi knew it was only a few minutes, the disembodied voice told him that. He might've known it but it felt like centuries he was clawing at metal, tears stinging his eyes.  


She wasn't even supposed to be here. That shouldn't be her in there. She should be tucked away in a building, sending him the answers to the puzzles.  


She shouldn't be trapped like this.  


She was though.  


And the world was ending.  


And his hand was burning.  


In the back of his mind he heard Light tell him the door was too hot to touch, the detective did too but he was much more forceful.  


He hammered on the door, ignoring the blistering pain. He didn't care. He couldn't give less of a shit what those two thought because Akane was still in there.  


The alarm blared once more.  


"Incineration complete, door opening."  


A knot that had formed in Aoi's stomach tightened. The lump in his throat swelled; felt like he couldn't breathe.  


The door slid upwards.  


Aoi staggered forward, into that horrid room, eyes darting for his sister.  


"Kanny?" Barely more than a hoarse whisper. "Akane? Where are you?" He spoke, louder this time.  


He knew. Deep down. He just didn't want it to be true, to admit it to himself.  


"Aoi..." he felt a hand on his shoulder. Light's, going on the voice. "I don't think your sister...."  


He hit the hand away. He didn't want anyone anywhere near him, not even Light. Light, who'd he'd come to like more than he wanted to admit.  


"Shut up."  


"Aoi-"  


"Shut. The fuck. Up."  


Light did. The detective was with them.  


"Kid, there's not a-"  


Aoi turned to the detective, his eyes as furious as fire.  


"Didn't you hear me? Shut up! She's, she's alive!" He lowered the fist that he had brought up, like he would really hit the mountain of a man. "She has to be."  


That's when he saw it.  


A little pile of... something. Ash? Dust? Powder?  


"A-Akane?" He called out, moving towards the stuff. His legs worked against him, he just had to know. "Akane?"  


His voice just echoed round the room. Hollow and empty. It sounded like how Aoi felt.  


"Aoi, please, I know this is hard for you." Light began, voice too soft, too Light.  


"Kid, that maniac is gonna come back"  


Aoi felt his legs give way. Like the reality of his situation was knocking him down. The weight of this whole thing, finally setting in.  


Aoi felt a sob escape him. In any other situation he'd swallow it down. He wouldn't allow anyone the opportunity to call him weak, no way. In any other situation.  


Any situation was better than this one. Any reality was better than the one that he was stuck in.  


He grabbed a handful of the dust, of what had once been his baby sister, hoping, begging, praying, that this was a joke.  


She was going to appear from nowhere now, laughing at Aoi's reaction, at how gullible he had been. He wouldn't even be angry.  


He'd be too relieved to be angry.  


Maybe the world would stop ending if she appeared from thin air.  


Maybe.  


That maybe didn't stop him from crouching over a pile of what was once Akane, sobbing until he couldn't breathe.  


This was a dream, a nightmare, a drug trip he didn't remember taking drugs to go in. Anything but the truth.  


Light's hand on his shoulder threw all that out the window because never in any of Aoi's wildest dreams did he imagine Light, a near stranger, comforting him over his sister's remains.  


He sobbed again, louder, closer to a scream. Tears burned his eyes, twisted his stomach, strained his throat.  


Akane Kurashiki was dead.  


Gentarou Hongou had killed her.  


And the world had ended.  


Well, for Aoi at least.


	2. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader Warning: Suicidal Thoughts (briefly)
> 
> _The way back on the boat is the quietest thing Aoi's ever known. But its so so loud too. ___

The way back was silent.

Except it really wasn’t.

Aoi was surrounded by the other children, the seven others - not eight- chattering excitedly, glad to be free from the ship.

Did they know? He hadn’t told anyone: it wasn’t their business. But Akane clearly wasn’t with them. Some of them must’ve been smart enough to figure it out.

Akane would be nattering in his ear right about now. Something that would fill the silence between them, something to stop Aoi thinking so much.

She wasn’t though. She was gone, and the void she had left wrapped its arms around Aoi’s torso. It engulfed him. The world seemed so bleak, so pointless now.

The boat was silent but at the same time, it was the loudest thing Aoi had ever known.

Aoi hated it.

Aoi hated everything about that goddamn game. He bit his tongue.

Games are fun. Akane loves games, and she’d beg him to play. He bit down harder, feeling like he would draw blood any moment now. Loved, he reminded himself. Past tense.

The silence seemed more intense now. Aoi would’ve described it as screaming at him but of course, it’s silence: it can’t scream. It just drowned him. The silence rising with every second that passed without Akane. It was rising, silence squeezing at his chest like a vice, slowly making its way to his neck.

He stared down at the water beneath their little rowboat.

Soon Akane would be in it. The larger boat would disappear into the gloomy depths with her remains with it.

He dipped his hand in the water, far enough to dampen the cuff of his sleeve. It was freezing.

He wanted to throw himself into it.

He wanted to drown.

It wasn’t fair.

He took his hand out of the water. He wiped it against his trouser leg.

“Are you okay?”

It was the first voice Aoi had taken in. He had heard plenty but none had registered. Light’s did though.

“What do you think?” Aoi muttered. That was a sure fire way to see he wasn’t even remotely okay: the question was muttered and wasn’t preceded by a snort. Very un-Aoi like. Aoi let his face fall into his hands. “No.” His voice was tiny and if it hadn’t been for Light’s superior hearing it wouldn’t have been heard.

“As I thought.” Light stated. “I’m sorry, Aoi. Truly, I am.”

Aoi wasn’t sure if he wanted Light in the water more than he wanted himself in it.

Aoi dug his nails into his hands.

“Sorry doesn’t bring her back,” he spat. “You barely knew her. You didn’t care about her, you didn’t cause it, so why the fuck are you saying sorry?” Aoi lifted his head from his hands and glared at the boy. It was like no one else existed in that moment. Just Aoi, Light and the space between them.

“Because I would be devastated if I lost my sister,” he says, unfazed by Aoi’s outburst. “And I am sorry you have to go through it.”

“So am I.” He meant it to come out harsh and cold but the words caught in his throat and forbade him. The words came out cracked.

“I-”

Aoi snapped. “God! Stop giving me such a pitying fucking look!” He didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him, he was certainly not going to put up with Light’s overly concerned look and soft voice.

It was worse than the silence. At least he didn’t want to sob into the silence’s arms. The silence was cold and unforgiving, it didn’t listen and it could never understand what he was going through.

There were too many people here for him to cry. He refused to let these strangers see him like that. Light was a stranger. Light didn’t know him and he didn’t know Light.

So why did he want to curl up in Light’s arms and cry like a child?

Stupid. Dumb. Idiot.

Aoi wished Akane was with him to laugh at him. He thought about Akane and how she would be playing with the fingers on his hand, playing that game she did. She’d be humming a song.

She’d be so alive it’d hurt.

It hurt that she was never going to be so alive ever again.

He looked away from Light. He shone too brightly.

The boat came to a grounding halt. Aoi was brought back to Earth momentarily and noted that they had reached land.

“Akane we-” he looked to the empty space next to him and he broke off. “We made it.”

“Aoi? Would you like to get off the boat?” Light’s voice cut through the clouds in his mind. His hand was outstretched, ready to take his. A wise move as Aoi still wasn’t completely sure if his legs would hold him. He ignored Light’s arm.

He helped himself up and stepped onto solid ground. His legs worked just fine. Light huffed and followed.

What happened next was more of a blur of motion and colour than anything else. He registered Light’s voice in his ear, and he acknowledged the words “Building Q, in the Nevada Desert.”

Somehow he had gotten caught up in finding the other children. Light’s sister, Clover and Nona’s twin. It was where Aoi should’ve been reunited with Akane and a wide grin should’ve split down her face.

He still hadn’t had time to cry. Just thinking of his little sister made a lump in his throat and his eyes sting.

Life was simply unfair, wasn’t it?

“Light!” Aoi looked up and saw a girl, who couldn’t have looked more than eight years old. She had pink hair tied in bunches. If she was Light’s sister there was clearly no family resemblance.

She hugged Light tightly.

Aoi couldn’t help a small smile at such a display. Even if he would never have it, he was glad Light had it.

The smile dropped soon enough. He had let his mind drift to Akane. His eyes watered. Not yet, he told himself. Not here. With every second he spent staring at the love and happiness etched onto the siblings faces it got increasingly harder not to.

He just wanted her back.

For a moment, just to say goodbye and hug her close. He’d be better then, knowing that he could tell Akane how much she was loved.

He wiped at his eyes.

He was alone now. The realisation struck him like a blow to the chest. He had no one. Akane had been the only one. With her gone… he had nothing. The sound of silence and the feeling of the void crept up and whispered into his ear. It sent chills down him.

“Come with me,” Light said. All chills were evaporated immediately. Instead, a fluttery feeling in his chest, when Light took his hand. He cursed himself for forgetting about Akane for that moment.

Light led him to a room off from everywhere else. His hoodie had fallen off his arms but he didn’t bother to shrug it back up. Underneath was a burnt orange t-shirt that hung loosely.

Aoi allowed the boy to close the door behind them before he spoke.

“Light, what the hell is all this?” Aoi said, his hand already reaching for the door handle.

“You are allowed to cry.”

Aoi let go of the handle as if it was white hot. “You what?!” He exclaimed. “What the hell are you on?”

Light took Aoi’s arms. For someone who looked like they couldn’t lift anything remotely heavy if you paid them, Light had a firm grip.

“You are allowed to cry. Stop… trying to be stronger than you are, Aoi.” Light’s voice was kind. It reminded Aoi of the mother he had lost. Of the voice he used when Akane was misbehaving.

“I-I don’t want to cry,” Aoi lied. “I want you to leave me alone!” He lied again.

Light frowned, only visible by the tiniest crease in his forehead. “Don’t lie,” he said simply. “You’re not any weaker for showing an emotion that isn’t disgust or anger.” He still hadn’t let go of Aoi. “You are human, Aoi. And humans must feel.”

Somewhere inside of Aoi, a dam broke. His grief of Akane dying and the guilt he felt because he couldn’t do anything but pound on a door, his sadness, his anger at Cradle Pharmaceuticals and every horrible thing his mind had conjured, they all broke free.

He practically collapsed into the taller boy’s chest, his own heaving.

“You’re okay Aoi. You’re safe.” Light whispered, combing a hand through Aoi’s hair. It was such a comforting gesture and one he hadn’t felt in so long, Aoi found himself sobbing harder.

Light wouldn’t judge him. It was Light and maybe he could be alright one day. This was the first step. Letting himself know that this was alright: he was allowed to cry.

Aoi clutched at Light’s t-shirt.

“You’re okay,” Light assured him. “This is okay.”

Eventually, Aoi’s cries faded and his breath returned to him. His cheeks were damp with tears, droplets clinging to his lashes. Neither boy moved, afraid that speaking too loudly would shatter the moment.

There was silence. It didn’t drown him. For once his mind didn’t wander to terrible thoughts or to his rage at Cradle Pharmaceuticals for what his life had become.

There was silence, and that was okay.

Gently, Aoi prised himself from Light. He had gotten his top wet with tears. He couldn’t see Light being pleased with that. Not to mention the whole crying thing. That was… weird for Aoi. Actually opening up to someone like that.

The space between the two was silent. Except it wasn’t; it was filled with words they didn’t know how to say and emotions they didn’t know how to express.

Aoi broke the silence. “Uh,” eloquent. “I’m sorry,” he said scratching at his neck. He was never like this, he hated being so unsure.

Light just shrugged. “What for? You haven’t done anything wrong.”


	3. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A filler chapter tbh. Also, canon has been specially selected and giftwrapped.

The click of the key in a lock.

The creak of a door.

“Hello, house.”

Echoes. So many echoes.

The slam of a door.

The slump of a boy against it.

“Hello house,” he said again. “I’m back.”

He was back. He had escaped from that boat, escaped the room that he had cried in, escaped too many questions about where he lived.

He had always lived here. This was his house, his home. He knew where everything was kept, which windows needed a more aggressive push and the exact right place to turn the shower knob to get the exact right temperature.

He was still in his uniform. He wanted to tear it to shreds.

Everything that reminded him of these last few days, he wanted it gone. He wanted every mention of boats gone. The number nine, this uniform, everything gone. He despised it. If he ever saw the words Cradle Pharmaceuticals ever again it would be too soon.

If he ever found a four leaf clover he was binning it.

He had really believed in it. He had seen a plant and believed it would protect him and Akane.

How wrong does a guy get?

So many things to strike off the list of things he could like. Fire, clovers, ships. Gone, gone, gone.

It didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered.

Akane was gone.

And Aoi was still here.

So pray tell, what was the fucking point?

Aoi cried a little more. He thought he had gotten everything out of his system, thought he could push all this to the back of his mind. He couldn’t. He knew that now. Akane was always going to be lingering, he’d always be holding onto the memory of his sister.  
He forced himself up the stairs. Every sound he made was amplified, so deafening now.

He couldn’t bear to look at Akane’s door. Behind that door was her everything. Her games and books, what little money she had and sweets. Aoi’s everything was at the bottom of the sea, in ashes.  
He took his uniform off and shoved it into the back of his closet. It was already Christmas break. He’d been gone that long. He sighed.  
At least he didn’t have to ditch school. He could just miss it like a regular kid.

Like a regular kid with a regular family. Not like Aoi Kurashiki, alone and pretending.

He just wanted Akane back. That’s all he asked for.

He fell asleep hugging one of her coats.

***

Aoi didn’t leave the house for a long while. He pattered around, making sure he didn’t starve. He stared at the television aimlessly, even when it turned to a blank screen.

What did he do when Akane wasn’t with him? There must’ve been a time where he was off and she wasn’t.

Who cared?

He didn’t have anyone. Dead parents, dead sister. A detective that had saved his life, but to the man, he was just another face. Light was the closest thing he had to a friend. Aoi scoffed. Light could’ve been anywhere. Enjoying life free of the Nonary game with Clover, Aoi supposed.

He wondered what Akane’s friends would think.

He pushed that thought away as soon as he came up with it. He didn’t want to think about it. His life was sad enough without thinking of other’s misery.

Aoi only left the house because he didn’t have food. He knew that Akane wouldn’t want him to go hungry. He almost heard her persistent voice, telling him that they were running out of food. Also, he really wanted cereal with milk. No matter how desperate Aoi got, he refused gone off milk.

That was disgusting.

As he stepped out of the shop with a bag of groceries slung over his shoulder he spotted a small child. He recognised the kid, Aoi thought as he squinted at the bobbing profile of the child.

It was one of Akane’s friends; Junpei Tenmyouji. He was a cute enough kid; messy brown hair and a snub nose. He had a bruise that had faded on his cheek. Or maybe it was mud. Aoi couldn’t tell at this distance. If he knew Junpei, either was a viable option.

Aoi could’ve sworn Akane had mentioned him just before everything. How Junpei had given her a doll. She had been smiling and dancing around with it. Aoi hadn’t payed much attention to it, he was just glad Akane was happy.

But that doll.

That doll…

It was the one Akane had gone back for.

It was his fault. It was Junpei’s fault that she was dead.

Aoi wanted to kick the kid. Every fibre wanted him to go over and hurt him in some way. If Junpei had never given her that fucking doll she’d be safe and waiting at home.

Aoi shook the thought from his head. This wasn’t Junpei’s fault. He was just a sweet kid who wanted Akane to be happy, just like Aoi wanted. It wasn’t some twelve year old kid who had killed her, no. It was Cradle Pharmaceuticals. It was Gentarou Hongou, it was a collection of corrupt adults that had murdered her. For some experiment, a fucking test. They weren’t lab rats, they were unfortunate children.

Junpei crossed the road and out of Aoi’s sight. Out of sight, out of mind. He took a deep breath. He was okay. He could do this. He would go to school next week and he would finish school and get a better job. Better money and if the universe allowed it, a better life. Maybe a friend.

Aoi walked home, groceries thumping his back with every step.  
Sitting at a computer, Aoi typed in “Light Field Kidnapping” into the search bar. The faces of sixteen children loaded up before his eyes. He saw the other kids from the ship and their siblings: Nona, Light, Clover and Nona’s sister. He and Akane weren’t there.

Clicking through a few articles, Aoi came to a page that must’ve been some sort of interview. He saw a photo of the detective. It was clearly him: no one could be that built and serious but him. Besides, he looked identical. Aoi supposed that the recovery of all the missing children was quite a feat. He scrolled through, but it was all things he knew.

He had been there after all. He read about how the detective had awoken in the room and promptly found a group of children in an incinerator. Aoi quickly scrolled past a passage about a girl’s death.  
The thing that surprised him the most was a collection of quotes from the children. Some reporter must’ve gotten in on the action after Aoi had left for home.

“It was terrifying being told that your sister’s life depended on the puzzles you solved. I just wanted to go home, but I felt better after knowing everyone else was like me.” The girl bore the same surname as Nona’s.

“Being an esper just brings you closer to your twin,” that was the boy who had worn the number nine bracelet. Neither Akane nor Aoi had liked him. Though, Aoi hadn’t liked many people on the ship. He had just wanted to protect Akane and escape.

He read the following passage under his breath. “One half of the Field siblings, Light Field, witnessed Akane Kurashiki’s death.”

How could he? He was blind and Akane was in an entirely different room. He didn’t witness shit.

“While Light Field refused to comment on the events of the Nonary game and his time aboard the ship, he commented upon Akane Kurashiki’s death-” Aoi almost closed the tab as he approached the quote. What would Light say? Would he lap up the fame; appearing in article after article because he hung back to see Aoi’s world end? His grip on the mouse tightened and it felt like the plastic would buckle. If this was the same Light that had soothed him and told him everything would be alright, he couldn’t see that happening.

But people are monsters.

Who knew what Light would say.

“Akane did not deserve this fate. She was murdered by power-hungry adults. Her death should be treated as a murder, not as a freak accident. All I can say is that I hope her family is treated with the respect they deserve.”

No one knew Aoi was alone. Light had assumed Aoi was part of a nuclear family. He had slipped away from everyone before his living status could be questioned.

Ah well. Light’s hopes had to be dashed.

Light didn’t need to know that.

He clicked off the tab.


	4. Miracles Happen All The Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> me? with a extremely inconsistent upload schedule? Far more likely than you think.  
> and here, we tread into aoilight territory

His hand was bleeding.

The skin around his knuckles was broken and bruised. His throat was hoarse, from screaming or from the smoke that trickled out of that awful place, Aoi didn’t know. Tears stained his cheeks which were blotchy in comparison to his pale face.

“NO!” P  
He fell through the door and into his personal hell. He could hear screams echoing around the room and the heat, oh god the heat. It was blistering Aoi from the outside in. Everything was a mass of orange and red flames, black smoke that choked him. He couldn’t tell which way was up, where foward was. All he knew was the heat and the pain and the screams.

He heard another scream.

“KANNY!” Aoi screamed into the flames. The scream pierced his heart like a steel rod. No… No.

Two more screams, louder and more desperate than before. They weren’t the same. Akane’s voice merged with another and that one faded to silence as they surely collapsed.

Stumbling into his view was Light. Light, holding Akane. Akane was near unconscious, ash staining her skin and making her hair a matted mess.

“Help… Me…” Light whispered. His face was pale and drawn, lips cracked and near bleeding. “Aoi!” He begged.

Aoi awoke with a scream. His heart was pounding, trying to escape the ribs that encaged it. Aoi ripped the sheets away from his body, the sweat sticking to it. He heaved and gripped the edge of the mattress.

“A… A dream, Aoi,” he said to himself in the dark of his room. “A nightmare.”

He wiped his neck with his hand and grimaced at the slickness of it. He was horribly warm but nothing abnormal. He was okay.  
“You’re okay.” Aoi closed his eyes and took a deep, gulping breath. “You are okay,” he lied.

Maybe he wasn’t okay. That was fine. He knew it would be a while until he could truly be okay. And that was fine. If Light’s weird moment in that place had taught him anything, it was that. It was okay to not be okay.

Aoi pulled himself from the mess he called his bed. Getting a glass of water, he walked to the bathroom and sat down on the cold of the toilet seat. His head buzzed with all his thoughts. If Akane was here he’d be fine. She’d know how to calm him down and how to make him Aoi again.

Akane was kneeling in front of him, a hand on his knee. She looked up to him with concerned, soft eyes. Exactly like how Light’s had been.

Or had Light’s eyes been like Akane’s?

“What was your nightmare about?”

Aoi took a sip of his water. He shrugged. “Not much. Just… Weird.”  
Akane looked at him. He knew what that look meant. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you can just say you don’t” she smiled sympathetically. “We still have each other.”

Aoi rolled his eyes. While he tried not to swear too much around Akane (he knew he mum wouldn’t have liked it) sometimes she was too sappy. “I know you fuckin’ idiot. It’s too early to spit all that sappy shit.”

Akane giggled, like the swears were a taboo. They definitely weren’t; Aoi had definitely heard a small swear slip from Akane’s mouth before.

She smiled and got up, a bounce in her step. As always. “Love you.”  
“I love you too, Kanny.”

Aoi shook his head and Akane disappeared. She wasn’t there. He was just talking to himself. Talking and replying, like some kind of weirdo. He sighed and downed the rest of his water.

He wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep, that was for sure.  
He didn’t want to sleep, didn’t want to be awake.

Was there a way to stop existing without dying? He hoped so.

Light was in the incinerator too. Light, carrying a unconscious Akane. They were both going to die and if he went back to sleep, Aoi was terrified he’d see that happen.

The hours ticked by with glasses of water and heavy sighs. Even when it reached a suitable hour to finally move from the bathroom - some how he had moved himself to the bathtub - he couldn’t summon the energy to haul himself up. He just lay there, foot against a tap and in a vest and shorts.

Eleven in the morning rolled around and Aoi forced himself to function.

He was halfway through brushing his teeth when the bell rang.  
He was dressed fine, wasn’t he? He looked down at his faded jeans, old flannel top and his sock less feet. He made a noise of approval.

Aoi went to the door with a toothbrush still in his mouth.  
Ever since he had been kidnapped, Aoi had kept his door firmly bolted. A chain refused the door to move anymore than a few inches. Aoi opened the door as far as the chain would let him.  
Looking through the gap he saw a little girl who was holding the hand of what was obviously her brother.

“Whaddya want?” He muttered, a slight slur to his voice. He forced his eyes to stay open and met eyes with the little girl.  
Pink pigtails. A toothy grin.

The boy had grey hair, too tall for his age.  
His eyes were shut.

Aoi had to repress the urge to slam the door in both their faces.  
“Aoi, if I’m not mistaken?” What the hell was he doing here? How had he found Aoi? Why?

Aoi ground his teeth. “You’re not.”

He made a mental note to not explode at the pair, or at least not to swear if he did. Right now though, the urge to spit obscenities into Light’s face was overwhelming.

“Why are you here? How?” Aoi still hadn’t unlocked the door. His hand gripped at the door, slowing turning as white as the paint.

Clover beamed. “We saw you!” She exclaimed. She was wearing a brown jacket and had a hat tugged down over her mop of pink. It was winter after all. It was winter, which meant the December air was leeching all the warmth from Aoi.

Clover went onto explain. “The other day! We were visiting our grandma.” She really didn’t think there was anything wrong in this situation.

Aoi honestly didn’t think there was anything right in it.

“And that means you can come knocking on my door?”

Light spoke before Clover could say anything too insensitive.

“It hasn’t been that long since the Nonary Game, Aoi,” Light said with a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Given your current circumstance, I-we wanted to make sure you were okay.” He was surprisingly calm for a fifteen year old seeing a boy who had crumbled in front of him. Aoi had counted on never seeing Light again for as long as he lived.

“We?” Aoi questioned. “Clover doesn’t know me.”

Light looked down at Clover. “She was the one who proposed the visit.”

“Right.” Aoi scowled and closed the door.

“Aoi-” but he didn’t hear anymore, what with the door that muffled him.

Aoi leaned against the door, trying to ignore the argument he was having with himself. For gods sake, he thought, of-fucking-course Light had to grace him with his presence. He groaned and turned his head to the door, sighing at what options he had. He rested his head against it before he heard a small knock and a muffled voice. How was this fair? What had he done wrong?

He unlocked and yanked open the door and glared at Light. “Will you go away if I talk to you? Because it’s impossible to get you away, I swear.” Aoi ran a hand through his hair. “Do you want to come in, or can I shut the door and let you freeze?” Aoi didn’t let Light answer before he tugged him and a following Clover inside. He shut the door behind them and shivered.

Aoi really hadn’t thought this through. He had no clue what to do now. Light was standing in his hallway, grey hair falling in his eyes. He supposed it didn’t matter, what with being blind.

“Are you okay?” Light was wearing the same hoodie as the one on the ship. Was that intentional?

Aoi pointedly looked at Clover who smiled. He reckoned Akane and Clover would’ve gotten on well in Building Q.

“I think we would’ve.” Akane looked up at Aoi. “I like her.”

“I’m fine.” Aoi gritted his teeth. “If I wasn’t I’d get help, wouldn’t I?” Anything to get Light Field off his back. Anything to get the siblings out of his house.

Light tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and as much as Aoi hated to admit it; Light was cute. Annoying and stubborn but cute.  
“Forgive me for my pessimism, but I don’t believe you would.” Light sighed like an exasperated parent. “I’m led to believe you have trouble with your emotions.”

Well you didn’t have to be a genius to figure that one out. A blind man could see and a blind man had. Aoi wasn’t good at handling emotions; his or anyone else’s.

“Well, you’re pretty good at dealing with mine,” Akane said. “And I’m good at dealing with yours, right?” She shouldn’t be there. She was dead. Aoi was talking to himself.

“What made you think that?” Aoi folded his arms across his chest. “My natural caring for others? Was it my charm and cooperation aboard that fu-” he stole a glance to Clover, who was watching intently. He had imagined her chattier. “Freakin’ boat? Or maybe it’s my refusal to accept the fact I need to cry?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm and his gaze burnt a hole through Light.

Light considered this for a moment and then took a phone out of his pocket. He pressed it into Clover’s hands and whispered something to her. She promptly sat on the first step of the stairs; tapping the phone at a lightning pace.

“Would you mind if we went to a different room?” Light asked. “Clover is perfectly capable of looking after herself,” he added, almost as if he could see the look on Aoi’s face.

Aoi nodded dumbly, then realised he needed to speak. “Yeah, sure.” He mumbled and moved toward the kitchen. “It’s this way,”  
Light nodded and followed him into the tiled room, hand tracing the wall.

“So what’s this about?” Aoi rolled his eyes.

“Where are your parents, Aoi?” Light didn’t bother beating around the bush. His bluntness surprised Aoi and he was lucky he only stammered when he spoke.

“Not here.”

“Where?” Aoi had never seen Light this firm. Firm, but eerily calm.  
Aoi recalled the name of the church graveyard they lay in. “St. James church, the graveyard,” Aoi spat. If Light was going to feel pity for him because of his (lack of) family, he could leave right now.

Strangely enough, Aoi found Light’s hand on his. He tried to yank it away but he couldn’t find the strength to.

Light Field was a fifteen year old boy. No normal fifteen year old is so comforting and able to put anyone around them at ease. No normal fifteen year old boy has been kidnapped and has some sort of telepathic communications though, in fairness.

“You don’t have anyone else, do you?”

What was it about Light that made Aoi so ready to express emotions? Why did he feel so much safer with Light around? It could’ve just been his name. So calming and soft, the idea of hope when everything else seems pointless.

Yeah? It could just be Aoi was getting too poetic for his own good.  
Aoi snatched his hand away from beneath Light’s. It felt like it was on fire, and fire was the worst thing in the world. “What are you getting at?” A loud noise came from the other room and Clover cheered.

Light pulled his hand in. The table looked empty without it. “What I’m getting at, Aoi, is that you’re alone. Aren’t you?”

“I don’t need your freakin’ pity.” Aoi looked away. “I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime.”

“I’m blind. So have I.”

That was a good argument.

Light continued on. As much as Aoi didn’t want to hear what Light had to say, he had to admit that Light’s voice was distracting him from everything else in his mind. Which included his dream.  
Aoi hated his head sometimes.

“You can’t live on your own Aoi. It’s borderline impossible.” Light frowned. “How… If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been alone?”

Aoi opened the fridge and stared into it, hoping the cold would form a mask on him. “Since the ship, idiot.” He knew what Light was saying. He wasn’t stupid. He had been alone for longer than he could remember.

Light (for the second time in his visit) sighed like a long suffering parent. “You can’t live like this Aoi. You will drown in yourself. Living like this… It’s not healthy, it’s not possible.” Aoi almost smiled. It gave him a little comfort to know that Light could tell when Aoi wasn’t going to give him any more information. The idea that Light knew him that well lifted some of his spirits.

Aoi slammed the fridge, trying not to wince when he heard something break. “Miracles happen all the damn time.”

Just not the one he wanted. And Light was right, and Aoi knew deep down. He couldn’t live like this. Not for much longer with a fake Akane in his ear and only the sound of himself to keep him company.

Light was at his side before Aoi realised. “Not this one, Aoi. Can you let me help you?” His voice was… Angrier than before. Exasperated.

Aoi stared straight ahead. “I don’t need help,” he grumbled. “I’m fine.” He refused to look at Light,afraid that overwhelmingly concerned look would be etched onto his face. “Why don’t you just go home, Light? Pretend I didn’t exist, pretend the nonary game never existed, pretend none of this shitty thing ever happened.” He ran a hand through his hair. He really did need a shower. “Just… Let me fade into nothing. Make it easier for me, would you?”

Light pushed him against the wall. For a second, Aoi thought Light was going to punch him - make him stop saying whatever crap he was spouting. True crap, but crap nonetheless.  
He was so close. And warm, oddly warm. Aoi had forgotten that detail of Light.

“If I allowed myself to forget you existed, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” Light’s voice was scarce more than a whisper, but so close that it felt like the loudest thing Aoi had ever heard. Second to his heartbeat, that was.

Light continued. Aoi had a feeling he’d unlocked a rant deep within Light. “You, Aoi Kurashiki, you are deserving of so much. And you have none of it. So for gods sake, let me help you.”

Really very close. Aoi wasn’t sure if he wanted to push Light away or lean up and kiss him.

Wait, what?

“Let me in, Aoi. Please.”

It was a sad fact Aoi knew he wouldn’t.


	5. A Matter of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back again! I’m hoping to update this a little more now :)
> 
> I swear this fic will get sweet at some point

Every detail of Light was overwhelmingly close. From the stands of soft grey, to the crease between his eyes, to his mouth. Aoi didn’t have a word for Light’s mouth. 

Light. 

Aoi. 

Inches apart, but still a thousand miles away. Trapped in Zeno’s paradox. Two objects can never meet, for there is always halfway to go. 

Aoi has a feeling this would be similar. 

“I can’t.” He whispered. “I won’t.”

Letting in Light would kill him. It would be the final blow. Because ultimately, Light would leave. He would move on, live his life. He would leave Aoi here. Still stuck on that fucking ship. 

It would be a cold day in hell before he let Light Field murder him. 

Light didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to open his eyes to stare at Aoi, to read him so well. 

Aoi sighed. “Go home, Light. Go home and be happy.” He pushed Light away. Literally, and emotionally. The door in his heart was staying firmly bolted shut. 

Light looked like he was about to say something. That was the only thing Aoi was sure of. The rest of Light was inscrutable. 

Aoi stared at the oven clock, blinking green at him. 

“I-“ Light began. He stopped. “I’m sorry for intruding on you, Aoi. Clover and I will be on our way.” 

Aoi watched as Light walked out the kitchen, his fingertips trailing the white paint. 

“Why do you care?” The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Why the hell do you care about me? I’m a fucking stranger.” 

Nine hours. Enough time to care. 

Nine hours. Enough time to lose the last of your family. To lose everything.

Light paused in the hallway. 

“Because, Aoi. Because you’re fucked if you let yourself drown in loneliness.” It felt wrong to hear Light swear. He spoke like a fifty year old man for half the time. A swear wasn’t part of his vocabulary, Aoi thought. 

“Don’t swear.”

“Fuck me, you’re as bad as my grandmother. Can’t I swear around someone my age?” 

Aoi followed him out into the hall. Clover was still engrossed in whatever game she was playing on Light’s phone. 

“Sounds wrong. You didn’t swear before either.”

Akane huffed. “You gotta call it the ship sometime.” 

Not now. Not days after. Too soon. 

Light may have had his eyes shut, but Aoi knew an eye roll when he saw one. Sensed one? 

Light gestured to his little sister. “I make it a habit not to swear around children. Something my grandmother enforces.”

The idea of Light swearing around Clover messed with a lot of preconceived notions. He liked that. He didn’t want the people around him to be cookie cutters that he had made them out to be. They were people. 

They were alive. 

“Your grandma sounds like a badass.”

“Yeah.” Light huffed something like a laugh. “We’ll leave then. I hope you’ll be okay, Aoi.”

For the first time in a while, Aoi felt something sweet in his chest. It was different to the silent void, or the weighted grief, it wasn’t the sadness. A single jump as Light laughed his name. 

Clover jumped up and exchanged a look with Aoi. Her eyes were too heavy for a child like her. She still smiled, however, and waved him goodbye. 

She was not the chatterbox he had imagined. He couldn’t see a girl choosing bright pink hair as a shy girl. Cookie cutters. 

“Yeah. See you.” He muttered as Light closed the door. 

Akane nudged him. “You love him~” she sang. “Aoi and Light, sitting in a tree-“ 

Aoi clapped a hand over his mouth. “Shut it.”

Akane smiled from behind his hand. Then she licked it. Aoi really should’ve expected it. She did it all the time, and he always fell for it. He should really expect Akane’s antics by now. He shot her what could only be described as a cross between a glare and a fond look. 

Except he was staring at empty space. Because she wasn’t there.

And he had forgotten. 

Was he really that good at pretending? 

He could’ve sworn he felt Akane lick his hand. He felt her smile behind his palm, he was sure he had. 

He stared at his palm like it was an alien being. How had his own flesh and blood lied to him? It didn’t seem possible. 

But it was and it had. 

He slumped down against the door. 

He liked Light... he liked... he liked that- that- that... he couldn’t think of a word to describe Light. Nothing did him justice, nothing fit. 

He liked Light. He swallowed. Light, overbearing and concerned. Smart and quick witted. A good person. 

Aoi clenched his fist. 

Why didn’t it work like it should’ve; out of sight out of mind. If anything the noise in his head was worse now that they had left. How long had it been since the door shut? Was it even a minute? 

He didn’t know. All he knew was the way Akane’s sing-song-y voice rang in his ears.  
“You love Light .”  
Like they knew each other. Like they had known each other longer than the horrible hours upon the boat. Like it was that easy. 

It was weird, wasn’t it? How love seemed real after longer. How someone saying they love you after a week seemed faker than those words after a month. It was only a matter of time. That’s all it was. 

Did he love Light? 

Maybe. Deep down, he could. He had the ability to properly, truly love Light. But he was a 15 year old boy with too much on his mind to try and sort through anything romantic or even remotely close. 

Fuck romance. Fuck platonic love. Fuck the Fields and their god damn concern. 

Aoi wanted to say he hated their overbearing concern but that would be a lie. Aoi wanted to say he hated the way Light brushed his thumb over Aoi’s knuckles. He wanted to say he hated Light’s low murmurs and how he bit his lip when he murmured. 

But he didn’t, because it’d be a lie.

It was too quiet in this house. Too empty without someone else. 

He hated it.

That wasn’t a lie.


	6. History is all you left me

It took only a week for Aoi to snap. 

A week of his mind obsessing over the Field’s. A week of Akane not being there, but his mind still taunting him with illusions. A week of sleepless nights and disjointed days. A week of seeing Cradle Pharmaceuticals everywhere he looked. No one payed any heed to that tiny, insignificant interview it seemed. 

Had it even been real? Was the trauma of losing Akane so painful that he made up a website to rationalise something? 

A week to utterly break. A week of wandering round an empty house, ignoring everything he should be doing. 

He had forgotten what the sky looked like. He had forgotten what it was like to be happy. 

It was this fucking house. He was leaving. He couldn’t deal with it anymore. It was a house for a family, and only Aoi resided in it. This wasn’t his home, it was barely his house. 

It was a shell of something that had once been beautiful. Akane, his mother, his father and him. Not anymore. 

He zipped up the backpack, one that was just plain black. Invisible. 

This was what he was bringing. This would be the only reminders of this place; a blanket, water, a notebook and a broken pencil. Hairbrush, deodorant, and a book, completed with Akane’s old bookmark. 

He’d normally fold the pages. Akane would shout at him. 

He sighed. It would have to do. 

He had made all the arrangements to survive his life without a house. He had planned this, in the back of his mind, for a while now. 

He had a small job at a cafe, working the till. He had his parent’s debit card, of which he knew the pin. He knew a quiet park he could sleep in. 

Because anything was better than what he had now. 

He shrugged a grey jacket on, the last thing he remembered buying for himself, and slung the bag over his shoulder. 

That was the last time he would walk out this room. He tried not to glance at the unopened door of his parent’s room. 

He did, however, steal a look at the door of Akane’s room. The door was swinging open, creaking with the wind. He could see the pink hues of the wall. And her white desk, still laden with her belongings. 

He stepped inside, just to shut the window letting the wind in. At least, that’s what Aoi told himself. 

It was almost exactly as she had left it. A messy desk, unmade bed, last night’s homework still sprawled out onto the floor. 

She must’ve forgotten to pack it. Aoi smiled at the thought. Typically Akane. 

The only thing out of place was the wide open window, letting a breeze blow that fluttered her curtains. It had knocked a picture frame down, glass splinters adorning her rug. 

Aoi lifted the frame up, ignoring the crunch of glass that sounded beneath his foot. The picture was of his family, wind blowing in their faces against the backdrop of a beach. 

His father would carry Aoi on his shoulders through those waves. Akane would wade after them, as far as her height would allow her. 

Aoi wiped his eyes. Stupid. Crying over something that happened so long ago. 

Crying in general was stupid. He had done too much of it. He was sick of crying, sick of feeling so goddamn numb after it. 

Between grief and nothing, he wanted grief. He craved the feeling, just to remember he was human. 

He plucked the picture from the sprinklings of glass and slotted it into the book. He closed his bag for the second time.

He went to Akane’s desk. A selection of headbands and clips and hair ties were stuffed into various boxes. A stack of post it notes along with a pot of pens in every colour he could think of. 

He wrote a note.

“Dear Akane. I love you. I’m sorry to leave so suddenly. I hope you forgive me. Tell mum and dad I love them too. Love you, Aoi x 

He plugged it into the cork board above him with a ladybird pin. 

She would know. It gave him a little comfort that she would know. 

He pushed his hair from his eyes and made his way to leave the house. 

“Hey!” Akane threw a pillow at the back of his head. “C’mon Aoi! At least say bye!” She chirped.

Aoi leant against the door frame. “You’re coming with me, remember?”

“Yeah... but I still think you should take something to remember me by.”

Aoi shook his head. “I’ve got your bookmark though. Doesn’t that-“

Akane jumped off her bed. “No way! You never read! You’re never gonna see that bookmark! Take...” she stalled, scanning her desk. She glanced back to Aoi. “Your hair’s getting really long. Take a hairband!” She suggested. 

Was it a suggestion? It was closer to an order. 

She stuck her hand out, holding a black hair band with it. He plucked it from her. He slid it onto his head. 

Did his hair really cover that much of his vision? Damn. 

Akane frowned momentarily. “Put another one on.” 

“I-“ Aoi began to protest. “Isn’t one enough? You’re a twelve year girl. I’m... decidedly not.” 

Akane wagged a ginger as her other hand dig through her box for, supposedly a matching headband. “Uh-uh. You going for the whole dumb edgy look, you’re having a headband.”

He looked down at his outfit. There wasn’t that much black. In fact, only his bag and shoes were black (if you dish the count the grey jacket). 

He caught the identical hair and Akane threw his way. She smiled as he added it to his white hair. 

“Now you’re all set!” And with a smile, she dissipated.

He should be getting used to these things by now. 

He had a possession from his family on him. He wasn’t surrounded by their lingering aura anymore. He couldn’t sit in the middle of his parent’s bed to miss them anymore. He couldn’t stare at Akane’s empty room.

All he had were two black hair bands, a bookmark, his mother’s earring, and his father’s wrist chain. 

Not to mention his stolen away picture. 

He traced the cracked paint of the stair banister. 

The last time he’d walk down these stairs. 

He paused half way down. 

“Hey!” He shouted. It would always echo best here, on the seventh step. “I know you’re out there, Akane. And you mum and dad! Hope you don’t mind that I took your favourite earring, mum!”

But there was only the echo. 

He jumped the rest of the stairs. He winced at the jolt that shot through his ankle at the landing. 

“This is all I have to remember you by. History is all you left me,” Aoi murmured, head against the glass of the door. “I love you.”

He yanked open the door. 

He dropped the door key into the olive green wellie boot that nobody quite knew who owned it. 

The doorframe shuddered as Aoi slammed the door close. 

He walked up his driveway and turned left. 

Last time doing that too. 

New life. 

No Fields. No reminders. No hurt. 

Right.


	7. The Right Thing to Do

He wasn’t sure if this was a bad idea. 

It wasn’t a good idea. Making yourself homeless, on purpose, couldn’t be the smartest move. 

But it was the right one. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle sitting in those rooms, staring at the empty walls. He couldn’t talk to himself anymore. He couldn’t pretend he was talking to Akane. 

He was too lonely. At least being out all the time people would be unavoidable. He’d have to see someone. He’d have to exist. 

Sometimes he wished he didn’t. He didn’t have much to exist for. His family was gone. He didn’t have many friends. No one massively important anyway. 

He didn’t even consider Light. They were strangers. He was someone Aoi used to know. A face in the crowd. 

He wanted to consider Light. He wanted Light to consider him. Consider him as a friend, as an equal instead of some pitiful orphan child.

But he wouldn’t. Aoi just knew. So he kept walking. He kept his feet pounding against the concrete of the pavement until that was all he could think about.

Moving forward was the only thing he needed to think about. Right now, it was the only thing he wanted to think about. 

Cross the road, don’t get run over. Turn the corner, dodge the dog shit. Down the hill, don’t make eye contact with the people your age. 

It worked fine. He didn’t need anyone. He didn’t need anything. He was fine.

It also appeared that Aoi was excellent at lying to himself. He was ready to believe that he needed nothing but this bag and the clothes on his back. He was willing to pretend that he wasn’t excruciatingly lonely. 

The thing was, being alone was great. Aoi loved being alone because she he didn’t have to deal with stupid people and their stupid comments. He liked his own company. The problem was though, as he carried himself and his belongings through the parade of shops and closer to the park he had decided to make his home, he saw people. People holding hands, laughing, carried on shoulders by their fathers. 

Aoi saw families. He saw couples. 

He saw love. 

And as much as he enjoyed being alone, he didn’t much fancy being lonely. He didn’t want to be lonely. He didn’t want to be the odd one out. 

He wanted to be in a family again. He wanted to be holding someone’s hand. He wanted to love and to be loved. 

But he didn’t think he had the energy to do that any more. No one would want him, Aoi thought. He didn’t even know if he wanted anyone. 

Light’s face flashed in his mind’s eye. 

He shook his head. “Stupid. Stupid. Don’t be so stupid.” A small child walking past watched him mutter his curses. Aoi sped up. 

He wanted to cry. Maybe. He wanted to do something, anything, to let the emotion he mhad stored away out. He wanted to scream or sob or punch something. 

Akane was gone. He didn’t have a home. Light and Clover would never see him again. Aoi was utterly, truly alone. 

It hurt. 

He pushed the gate open to the park and carried on the path, searching for a secret bench. 

He found it. It was missing a slat and parts of the brown wood was frosted in green. But it was good enough. It was his bench. His life. His decisions. 

He exhaled. 

“Hey! You’re Akane’s brother, right?” A young boy slid onto the space next to Aoi. “Aoi? Aoi Kurashiki? That’s you, right?” The boy prompted when Aoi didn’t reply. He didn’t even look at him. If he ignored this pestering little kid, maybe he’d get the message. 

“I’m Junpei! I’m Akane’s friend.” He stuck his hand out for Aoi to shake. Junpei looked down at his outstretched hand and laughed. It was caked with dirt and stained with grass. “I guess you wouldn’t want to shake my hand because it’s so dirty.”

“Something like that,” Aoi muttered. “Who are you? What do you want?” He finally turned to Junpei. 

He didn’t need to ask his name again. Even though he hadn’t registered it when he said it was obvious that this boy was Junpei Tenmyouji. His bark brown hair was still clouding his vision and his front tooth was still missing. He had more plasters on his skin than Aoi thought was possible. 

Junpei looked rather offended. “Hey!” He scolded Aoi. “I just told you! Junpei. You’re Aoi. Akane’s brother.”

Aoi tried not to visibly slump at the mention of his dead sister. It wasn’t Junpei’s fault, he reminded himself. Just because he gave her that damned fucking doll didn’t mean it was his fault all that remained of her was floating in the middle of the sea. 

He pushed down his emotions. He couldn’t break a little kid’s heart in the middle of the park. He was supposed to be here to have fun. Not to hear about the diabolical ‘game’ his friend had endured and died in. 

“Oh yeah. Sorry.”

Junpei wasted no time in getting to the reason he had stolen Aoi’s time. “Is Akane okay? Where is she? I haven’t seen her for ages,” Junpei whined. “We got new rabbits, I thought she might want to see them, but she’s never in school.”

Aoi felt a stab of despair in his heart. It had never occurred to Aoi that someone was searching for Akane. Their disappearance hadn’t been recorded anywhere. Not even a word in an unknown newspaper. And here was some snot nosed twelve year old, thinking about how much Akane would like the rabbits. 

Aoi pulled on the hairs at the nape of his neck. “Yeah, Akane… She’s not very well, so she's taking some time off school. Don’t know when she’ll be back,” he said, swallowing the truth. 

“Oh… well I hope she gets better soon. It’s our last year together, before we go to different schools. I wanna see her again. It’s been a month.”

“I wanna see her again too…” Aoi whispered to himself. He noticed Junpei’s quizzical look. “Because she’s always in her room: doesn’t like me coming in. Don’t see her much.”

He hoped that was a believable enough lie. It probably wasn’t, but what was the chance Junpei would do anything? 

“Uh, well, thanks.” Junpei stood up. “Tell her I hope she gets better, and I’ll see her soon.” 

Aoi saluted Junpei’s retreating figure. 

Akane had someone. That was what mattered. 

“I like him,” Akane said, a small smile on her face. “He’s always so brave.”

“He seems like he’d do something stupid,” Aoi countered. “Is-“

“Yeah, that too. He’s reckless and he does stuff without thinking it through all the way but he means well.” Akane watched him round a corner and disappear. “But he’s brave and he cares.” She paused and scanned Aoi’s face. “Reminds me of someone I know.” She poked his shoulder. 

“Shut up…” Aoi grumbled. “I’m not like that kid. Am I?”

Akane only shrugged. “This is just what you think.”

And she was right.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos mean a lot, please leave some if you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Without Akane has a wavering update schedule, but I’ll try to post every week! 
> 
> Tumblr; Nathan-Kirk


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